New Jersey Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad is the first hijab-wearing athlete to compete on behalf of the United States of America. She will compete in Rio in the fencing competition and has become a bit of a cause célèbre for the mainstream media and NBC Sports as they have attempted to make her the poster child for the American team.

That means she is giving a whole lot of interviews and through those interactions with the press, we’re learning more and more about her and what kind of ambassador she is for America. How good is she at singing the praises of the land of the free which allows her the protection and religious freedom to practice as she wishes and have the honor to represent our nation abroad?

“[I feel unsafe] all the time. I had someone follow me home from practice and try to report me to police,” she said. “And this is right on 28th and 7th in New York City.”

“I’m very vocal about these things because I want people to know I’m not a novelty, I’m not special in any way, I’m a woman who wears hijab and these are my experiences,” Muhammad said.

Muhammad, who came second to Michael Phelps in the vote for who should carry the U.S. flag at the Opening Ceremony on Friday, said the country is at crossroads.

“I want people to know that as hard as [these racist incidents] are on me, they don’t come even close to things we’ve seen like the shooting in North Carolina or the rhetoric around the Khan family at the DNC. It’s ridiculous and we as a country have to change and I feel like this is our moment.”

Asked by the Daily Beast what she thought about Donald Trump’s contribution to Islamic relations in the U.S., she laughed and said: “Who? I’m sorry, what did you say? I don’t know him.”

Funny how she mentions “the shooting in North Carolina” referring to the murder of three Muslim-Americans in Chapel Hill in 2015. Ms. Muhammad had no comment on the terror attacks in Orlando, San Bernardino, Chatanooga or at the Boston Marathon or… should I continue?

Wow, Ms. Muhammad… with that kind of talk you won’t even need to “invent” a clock to get an invitation to the White House.

UPDATE: After winning her first match Monday morning, Muhammad was eliminated from individual competition in her round-of-16 match against France’s Cecelia Berder.

However, she was able to be used as a political prop by Hillary Clinton so… mission accomplished. After all, when it comes to international sporting competition, everyone knows that what’s really important is what kind of religious garment you wear on your head.

In Rio, Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad became the first American Muslim athlete to compete while wearing a hijab. pic.twitter.com/OrRSHnH2Ra